Businesses claim offering school children work experience is ‘too time consuming’
The reasons businesses do not offer work experiences for students
- A new survey by The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) reveals that many businesses are deterred from offering work experience placements due to significant time constraints and staffing challenges.
- The research found that 41 per cent of companies not providing placements cited the process as too time-consuming, while a third reported a lack of staff capacity to supervise young people.
- Only just over half (52 per cent) of the 750 businesses surveyed currently offer work experience, with 58 per cent indicating that the traditional two-week block is too lengthy.
- The CEC is advocating for a new approach involving short, flexible work experience placements to replace the traditional model, aiming to make them more practical and accessible for both students and employers.
- This initiative seeks to address concerns from businesses, with 68 per cent believing entry-level candidates are underprepared, and 75 per cent stating they would be more likely to offer placements if working with schools were simpler.